A Journey of a Thousand Steps Begins With Singles One
by Elyonne
Summary: Spoilt is who he was, lost is who he is, grown is who he'll be. Prince Ryoma never truly understood what it meant to be in his position. The first step beyond the palace walls will open his eyes, the next step into the world will broaden his mind, and the final step into love will open his heart. Magical AU. Eventual TezuFujiRyo.
1. Chapter 1

**A Journey of a Thousand Steps Begins With Singles One**

A/n: Minna-san, hajimemashite! Elyonne desu. Douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (Hi everyone, nice to meet you! I'm Elyonne. Please take care of me!) This work is a collaboration between theFeyRa and I, hope you will enjoy it! Special thanks to my co-writer and beta, theFeyRa, and my homophobic but supportive friend Miyu, who came up with the title.

Warnings: THIS IS SHONEN-AI (BoyXBoy)! While it won't go further than hugs, kisses and cuddles, please don't read if you are offended by them. Also, TezuFujiRyo=Tezuka, Fuji and Ryoma are in a relationship, if threesomes disturb you, please don't read.

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis nor any of its characters

* * *

 _Magic._ No one knows how or when it came about. Some say that it was a result of evolution, a mutation meant to adapt and survive, while others say that it was a gift from God. Nevertheless, it permeates the land and fills the air. _Magic is everywhere_.

Early dwellers sought places with powerful dormant magic to settle down, for the source of magic ensured the survival of a civilisation. The land of Seigaku was one of such places, with the Kingdom of Seigaku flourishing as the centre of trade and commerce.

 _(…zzzzzzzz)_

Magic in the land is dormant; by itself it merely enhances the power of magical creatures- human and animal alike. Through the eons, mankind learnt to awaken and harness this slumbering magic as a power source. Gradually, as magical technology – that which accomplished more than the average magic-user could on their own – flourished, so too did the methods by which mankind chose to stir magic. In the present day, two of the most powerful magic wielders of the land, unrelated by blood, perform an annual ritual on a particular day in order to most effectively bring forth the might of magic. It is known as the Renatus.

 _(…zzzZZZZZ! Loud impudent snores resonate throughout the room.)_

"… With the societal… Ryoma! You insolent little brat! Here I was imparting my words of wisdom and there you are, sleeping so nonchalantly!"

Rubbing his head where he had been unceremoniously hit with a roll of parchment, Echizen Ryoma blearily eyed the court advisor Ryuusaki Sumire, whose old age belied her strength. Ryuusaki glared at him for a few more moments before deeming him a lost cause.

"Very well, I shall end here since evidently, _your royal highness_ won't be able to stand another second of my ramblings. Run along now, we will continue your lessons tonight."

"Thanks Ryuusaki sensei(1)! I'll be off then!" With speed rivalling the Speed Star- the famous Oshitari Kenya of Shitenhouji Kingdom - Ryoma was gone in a flash, inadvertently scattering the historical records he was studying, in his haste. Ryuusaki gave a fond exasperated smile at his antics as she tidied the parchments left behind.

Ryoma strolled along the corridors leisurely, glad to be out of the stuffy room. He strode onwards, paying no mind to the exquisite ornaments on the palace walls, the richness of the costly tapestries, and the subservient greetings of the servants. He turned a corner, his thoughts occupied with a multitude of mundane tasks (which included plotting his father's untimely demise in an epic tennis match), only to catch sight of Advisor Katou.

"Good afternoon, Prince Ryoma. I hope the weather has been agreeing with you." Katou greeted politely.

"Is my mother around?" Ryoma inquired.

"My apologies, my Prince, but Lady Rinko has just left again to attend to her duties." Katou replied pleasantly enough, but couldn't hide the pity in his eyes.

"I thought she just came back. Nevermind." Ryoma turned away, already expecting a similar answer. He knew well enough that as the Queen and High Priestess, his mother's duties demanded a great deal of her time. With the day of the Renatus fast approaching, it would be impossible for the Queen to stay idle even for a minute. Even his normally-lazy father had been absorbed in the preparations, judging from the amount of noise that could be heard from different parts of the palace at random times. Even so, sometimes he wished that she would dedicate just as much to her family. He swore that he could barely remember her face at times. With practised ease, he banished such maudlin sentiments from his mind, his feet leading him automatically towards the palace gardens, his sanctuary of sorts.

"My beloved Sakura, sweet beautiful Sakura, oh how my heart beats for you so."

Ryoma inadvertently felt a shudder down his spine at that voice. Only one person could sprout flowery pick-up lines like that. Sure enough, there under the huge Sakura tree in full bloom, was Echizen Ryoga holding a palace maid's hand and planting a chaste kiss on it.

"Do you know what the Sakura flower signifies?" Ryoga tenderly whispered to the captivated maiden.

"Transience?" She tentatively replied, her back facing Ryoma just a little distance away.

"Yes, but also humility, spiritual beauty… And exceptional beauty. That last meaning perfectly suits you, don't you think?" He reached out with his other hand and plucked a Sakura petal from the maiden's hair, before giving the petal a soft kiss as he met her eyes. (2)

Ryoma finally decided that he had enough as the maid started squealing, when Ryoga noticed him.

"Ah, beautiful Sakura, it breaks my heart, but I'm afraid that our love is just as transient as the blooming Sakura. It was an exceptionally beautiful love, and now we must part. May you remember our love as the spiritually beautiful moment it once was. Farewell." With that, Ryoga left the sobbing maiden behind, making his way towards Ryoma.

"Yo chibisuke(3)!" Ryoga greeted, paying no mind to the hysterical maid behind him. "Lessons just ended?"

"You have no idea how hard it was to get the slave driver to stop. I slept a good while and when I finally woke up, she was still talking incessantly. Took a really loud snore to get her to stop." Ryoma huffed, both of them now strolling alongside each other to a different part of the garden.

"Heh, that's the old hag for you." The elder prince snorted derisively. "Say, the annual ritual is almost a week away right? That means it's the "Oyaji-Sulking-Week" soon."

"Heh… Let's get everyone to link arms for a week." Ryoma grinned as he replied. Echizen Nanjirou and Echizen Rinko would be performing the Renatus again, as they had done for the past 27 years. It was discovered that the ideal time for it to be conducted was the first full moon in spring. To ensure the success of the ritual, prior preparations were in order - the two mages were to undergo cleansing for a week, which required complete abstinence from any skin contact, and involved purification with water in the morning and evening(4). It was a running gag in the palace that every year, a metaphorical overcast rain-cloud could be seen above King Nanjirou's head as he suffered from 'withdrawal symptoms' due to the need to stay far away from his wife. Every year, his two mischievous sons would encourage the entire palace to be more touchy-feely for the cleansing period, which certainly didn't help things. And every year, it always ended with Nanjirou destroying them in a Tennis match thoroughly after the ritual's festival. The grey clouds would then be transferred over to the sons. Ryoma and Ryoga never learnt from it of course, and it was an annual source of entertainment for the whole palace. However, things would be exceptionally different for Prince Ryoma this year, as he would learn in a week's time.

TBC

* * *

(1) sensei means teacher. Ryuusaki is terrifying enough to warrant manners.

(2) This idea came from an otome game. Cookies to anyone who can guess it! ^^

(3) Chibisuke is Ryoga's nickname for Ryoma-It means 'little one'.

(4) The idea came from a famous anime/manga. Cupcakes giveaway to correct answers!

Constructive criticisms are welcome. Flames ignored.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Echizen Nanjirou secretly owed me money that neither he nor I knew about and offended me in a different dimension… I probably made him into an unbelievable crybaby… Oh well~ Hope everyone enjoys the chapter! (*mutters* Though I don't quite find it up to standard...*mutters*)

Edited due to some major plot error.

Special thanks to my beta & co-writer theFeyRa, and to Ageha Yume and Chelle130 for reviewing!

Warning: OOC Nanjirou. Future boy x boy x boy

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

* * *

Today marked the arrival of the cleansing week, and with that, the commencement of 'Operation Annoy-Oyaji'. As always, Ryoga began the operation through one of the most eye-catching methods possible. A few steps behind King Nanjirou, Ryoga was leading an impressive parade comprising a fifty-strong bevy of pretty, infatuated maidens. He cheerfully trailed Nanjirou from place to place, linking arms with his entourage and proceeding to remind Nanjirou of the latter's required abstinence from skin contact in the most obnoxious way possible. As a form of respect, the advisors tried their best to keep a straight face during their conversations with the king. However, their efforts were of limited success, leading to a myriad of contorted faces that only increased the King's ire. At last, Nanjirou could take no more of this, and he beat a quick retreat to his room where he promptly slammed the door in Ryoga's snickering face. Ryoga's booming laughter could be heard even through the thick mahogany door.

In the quiet sanctuary of his sleeping chambers, Nanjirou let out a sigh of relief. Deciding that some de-stressing was in order, the King set his mind on uncovering his hidden stash of gravure magazines. 'Ah, just what a man needs to tide him through a period of forced monkhood!' he thought. He giggled lecherously, only to discover a pile of shredded paper in place of his beloved reading material. Karupin, Ryoma's Himalayan cat, presided over the carnage, like a beast standing over its kill. Proudly licking his paws, Karupin stared smugly at Nanjirou for a long moment, then vanished before Nanjirou's outraged eyes. After a period of stunned silence, a piteous wail could be heard from the room. "Myyyyyy preciousssssssssss!"

* * *

In the meantime, Ryoma scratched Karupin behind his ears, who looked very proud of himself.

"That's my clever Karupin! Here's the payment we agreed upon," he said, pleased as he handed Karupin a bucket of freshly caught salmon. Karupin's ability to vanish at will was useful indeed. Now, the next phase was due to commence at dinnertime.

* * *

Nanjirou sat at the dinner table, sobbing wretchedly about the unfairness of life and the horror of his not-cute sons. Dinner started peacefully though, with the two sons in question appearing docile enough, seemingly having called it a day. 'Dinner is the most important meal of the day~ Especially after a long and taxing day, one should keep his stomach satisfied,' Nanjirou sighed contentedly. 'Ooh! My favorite meat pie!' He reached out for the tempting dish, only to be beaten by Ryoga's fork.

"Mine," Ryoga chirped.

He sighs, balefully eying the meat pie, but decided to turn his attention to the delicately-spiced premium smoked salmon, which was beguiling him with its beautiful marbled appearance. Before he could even think to reach out for it, Ryoma had already stabbed, chewed and swallowed the delicacy, all in a span of five seconds. Nanjirou looked mournfully at the empty plate.

'Well, at least there's still the-' Nanjirou's thoughts were cut off as he spied Ryoga and Ryoma clearing up the last of the choicest, finest Wagyu filet mignon. As he stabbed moodily at the few vegetables that were left (and he HATED vegetables), the servants began to serve the desserts. He resigned himself to his fate when the desserts were cleared by his sons at a rapid pace. Perhaps it was the miserable and piteous look on Nanjirou's face, or perhaps Ryoma was too full from the mass-gorging, but he offered the last piece of apple crumble to the teary-eyed monarch.

"Ryooooomaaaaaaa!" The king launched himself at Ryoma to give him a big bear hug, completely moved by the sudden show of charity. A magic barrier stopped his advances thankfully. He cheerfully rushed back to his seat and took a huge bite of the lightly browned delicacy.

… … It wasn't a _normal_ apple crumble.

"Ahhhhhh! Wasabi! Water! Water! Water!" Ryoma passed him a glass of white vinegar. Nanjirou downed the glass in one go. "Vinegar?! Too sour! Sink! Sink! Sink!" He rushed out of the dining room and threw himself at the door to the washroom. The door did not even budge. Ryoga started playing 'Auld Lang Syne' on the trumpet from behind the locked door. Abandoning all dignity, Nanjirou squatted outside the toilet door and _cried_.

* * *

Rinko was in a happy mood. She finally had a little spare time to join her precious little family for dinner. She could imagine herself levitating Nanjirou's favourite meat pie to his mouth, giving Ryoga an extra slice of citron tart, and piling more vegetables on Ryoma's plate. What a heart-warming dinner it would be. So imagine her surprise when she saw Nanjirou wailing on the floor in the passageway, to the sound of trumpet-playing coming from the… washroom? Ryoma exited the dining room with a smug look on his face.

"Oh, kaa-san," Ryoma spoke, surprise colouring his tone. Nanjirou looked up from his self-pity.

"Rinko-chan!" He launched himself at her… and slammed into an invisible barrier a few feet away. He slid down the barrier slowly, then resumed crying at a louder volume. Rinko's eyebrow twitched. Only the sound of Nanjirou's sobs could be heard.

Stuck by a sudden suspicion, Rinko turned her head, only to find the passageway deserted. She quickly blasted the toilet door open, only to find the same. Upon closer inspection, remnants of magic hummed in the air.

"Those boys… They get better every year," she muttered, in a mixture of exasperation and motherly pride. She shook her head at the ruckus that Nanjirou was making.

"There, there…"

* * *

Ryoma whistled a happy tune, mentally giving himself a pat on the back for a job well done. He had treated Karupin to a second serving of fresh tuna and groomed him until his fur was soft and shiny. His smart little kitten deserved some pampering. Ryoma mused that he should probably get something for his brother too, when his foot suddenly connected to something solid, just a short distance shy of a giant bump laying on the garden grounds.

"…Oyaji, what are you doing on the ground?" he deadpanned. Nanjirou looked up at him with an unusually serious expression and patted the ground to his right, beckoning him to sit next to him. Ryoma raised an eyebrow, but plopped down next to him, curious as to where this would lead.

"Corruption runs rampant below the face of prosperity, just like decay unfurling unseen beneath this seemingly unblemished apple." Nanjirou held up an apple, and broke it into two to show the bruised flesh and rotten core. "The undercurrent is powerful, sweeping all into its midst, unstoppable as time itself."

Ryoma discreetly attempted an escape but Nanjirou magically yanked him back down and dropped a small boulder of rock on his back. He sat on the rock before resuming his musing position with his head propped up on his knees.

"Argh Oyaji! Get off you heavy old man! Go drown in the undercurrent of your stupid corruption!" Ryoma twisted and wriggled, but to no avail. He settled for glaring at his father, still in his awkward position. Nanjirou only looked more solemn.

"A leader I am, lead I shall. But I cannot lead if people cannot follow. The corrupted societal structure, functioning though it may seem, is so ingrained that change cannot be accomplished by us of the old generation." Nanjirou's eyes glowed golden in the moonlight, and he appeared much wearier and more exhausted then.

"Ryoma, I am old. Your mother is old. It's almost time for us to step down. You are nearing the age of maturity and the day when you take over is not as far as you think. What I couldn't do, what I couldn't change, perhaps one day the new generation will accomplish what I never will…" The King pulled out a flask of vodka and took a long draught.

"Oyaji… I… Are you drunk?"

"Hmmm? What are you talking about? Of course I'm not drunk…" And Echizen Nanjirou promptly collapsed in a heap. No longer pinned down by the full weight of a grown man, Ryoma was quick to wriggle away from the now-snoring Echizen elder.

"Stupid old man, I hope you freeze to death." The disgruntled boy muttered darkly and stomped off.

A blanket was thrown unceremoniously at the sleeping King.

* * *

 _So pronounced is the influence of magic on Man, so indispensable is its usefulness, that a societal hierarchy developed with magic as its basis. The social ladder may very well be a ranking of magical potential, with the most powerful as the rulers. The social strata grew as follows: the top positions being occupied by the king and the high priest, responsible for the smooth coordination of the ritual, followed by the royal advisors, the nobles, and finally, the commoners, with the lowest magic potential. The more magic one has, the more useful one is regarded in a society with magic as its core. In that sense, one was already born into one's status regardless of one's merit…_

* * *

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you everyone who followed or reviewed (Guest, VanriddleZ and Ser) this story! Special thanks to my beta and co-writer theFeyRa! Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

* * *

"Why is he not out yet?!" Ryoma grumbled from his hiding place. It was the commencement of Operation Annoy-Oyaji part 2, and he had been camping at an isolated corner overseeing the door to the Court Discussion Room for two whole hours. The court meeting had gone on for an unusually long time and his body was cramping from the uncomfortable position he was in. He tried to rub some feeling into his numb limbs as he threw a disdainful look at the door. Ryoga should have finished setting the booby-traps long ago. It would spell trouble for them if they were triggered by others instead. Well, at least Ryoga was on look-out, right?

 _Meanwhile…_

"Oh my gorgeous sweety-pie, you light up my world with the sparkling radiance of your mere presence!" Ryoga cooed adoringly at a blushing palace maid.

* * *

Advisor Ryuusaki hummed a cheerful tune and skipped along the corridors in a manner belying her age. She was pleased at the efficiency with which she had completed her tasks, giving her a slight allowance of time. Revelling in this well-deserved freedom, she had taken the opportunity to drop by a frequently-patronised eatery on the outskirts of the capital. The quaint little shop was a favourite among seniors, selling a great selection of youth-enhancing delicacies, ranging from the best-selling Thousand-Year-Turtle Soup to the succulent Golden Swallow Bird's Nest. Perhaps it was a little pricey, but Ryuusaki could feel the weight of her age lifting off – she counted three less wrinkles on her forehead and observed a slight smoothening of the crinkles around her eyes. She usually refrained from applying illusions to her appearance. However, due to all the recent stressors in her life, she thought that she had aged too much for her liking – she would never allow herself to look so old, not if she could help it. And she had.

Nothing could sour her mood anymore, even if she had to face the mischievous little imp - known as Prince Ryoma - in their evening lessons. Mind you, it wasn't that she detested the heir to the kingdom - quite the opposite actually. Still, interacting with an individualistic fifteen-year-old with a penchant for pranks could be rather trying. The loveable brat could become great, she mused. Ryoma had the strongest magical capacity in the whole of Seigaku, which immediately put him in the running for the throne. Moreover, the nature of his magic had the added advantage of versatility. It allowed him to utilise a wider range of magic types, though perhaps not as powerfully as one specialised in a particular field. In addition, strong will was always a desirable trait of rulers, although Ryoma always took it too far. Now if only someone could temper that pig-headedness of his, she sighed, he would be an exceptional ruler.

A blood-curdling scream pierced the air, sending a numbing chill down her senses. With her heart in her mouth, Ryuusaki turned tail and tore her way towards the sound, her pounding apprehension just overcome by ice-cold adrenaline racing through her body.

'Enemy infiltration? Assassination? Alien invasion? We are under attack!' Her overloaded brain helpfully supplied, exponentially increasing her anxiety. It completely evaded the fact that aliens were probably non-existent.

Leaving no time to catch her breath, she burst through the door, sharp eyes sweeping through the room as she prepared to deal with any intruders, alien or otherwise. What greeted her sight would forever be etched in her mind. On hindsight, it was not such a good idea to rush in while her overactive mind was still coming up with rather gruesome images of warlike, invading aliens. She shrieked, all form of composure long lost, and her illusion faltered and faded away.

Advisor Sasabe looked up from his handheld pocket mirror, covered with green glowing slime that slowly slithered down to reveal purple-dyed hair and skin. The sight of a weather-beaten face frozen in a petrified expression with wide, sunken eyes and numerous wrinkles sent his brain into overdrive for a second time. His scream harmonised with Ryuusaki's, both collapsed onto the floor in a dead faint.

* * *

Nanjirou unceremoniously yawned into his hand, bored out of his mind as he disinterestedly eyed the clamorous disagreement that had broken out among his advisors. There were so many things he could have done had he not been stuck in a ridiculously-lengthy meeting where none seemed to understand the virtue of compromise. His thoughts wandered to the excellent reading material he had hidden in the palace library - where better to hide a tree than in a forest? He could've been enjoying that. Or, he could've been feeding his beloved osprey(1), Mishura. Then there was this nice shady spot under the large maple tree that could lull anyone to sleep. Or perhaps he could've been defeating his mada-mada sons in a tennis match as payback for yesterday's misfortune. Ah, so many other things to do and yet so little opportunity…

 _The cacophony of noise from said areas did not reach past the thick oaken doors of the Court Discussion Room._

The King's attention snapped back to the present situation, and he slammed a fist on the marble table. Webbed hairline cracks propagated from the point of impact. It instantly ended the argument as the advisors turned their attention to the unimpressed leader at the head of the table. 'That's the third table for the week', he idly thought.

"We'll take Advisor Katou's suggestion," he bellowed. "Any disagreement? No? Good. Next issue."

Once again, heated squabbles broke out in the room. Nanjirou resignedly rubbed his temples. This would be a long day.

* * *

Ryoma was having a nice dream - he had been standing over the defeated form of his father on the tennis court - when he was suddenly shaken awake.

"Oi chibisuke! Get up! We better run!" Ryoma blearily blinked at his older brother. "The traps were sprung!"

'The traps were sprung? Baka-oyaji got caught? Well that's good. A nap is in order…' Ryoma rolled onto his side and was about to doze off again when it registered in his half-functioning mind that the door to the Court Discussion Room was still tightly shut. 'Why was that bad again?'

"RYOOOOMAAAA! RYOOOOGAAA! IF I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU ARE DEAD YOU HEAR ME?"

It finally hit him as the familiar howl of Advisor Ryuusaki echoed throughout the building. With that, the two siblings made a hasty escape as more irate yells from different sources added to the uproar.

* * *

Ryuusaki Sakuno was an exceptionally skilled tracker. She prided herself on being the best locator in the whole kingdom, with an outstanding record of hundred-percent accuracy. Unfortunately, geography wasn't exactly her best subject. Therein lay a huge problem.

She had been unwittingly circling the same area for a few hours and did not seem to be getting any closer to the location she foresaw her targets being at. It had been such an honour to be tasked by Queen Rinko to locate her two children, and yet! And yet she was failing so spectacularly at her duty. She squeaked and attached herself firmly to the surface of the wall as the family of furious Sasabes bulldozed their way through the corridors, nearly barrelling into her petite stature. That would no doubt have sent her flying. The sight of rainbow-coloured folk spouting expletives pulled her out of her disheartening thoughts.

'Are they trying to attract unicorns?' Sakuno snickered softly behind her hand. After all, in the absence of virgins, a well-known method to draw out unicorns involved dyeing oneself in rainbow colours. 'Ah! I mustn't be side-tracked! Queen Rinko is counting on me!'

With renewed motivation, Sakuno marched onwards, ready to face all troubles in the name of Queen Rinko. One turn later, she found herself back at the familiar crossroads where she had started her search. The last of the determination to complete her task independently fled from her. She quickly stopped a scurrying servant, who gave her an odd look upon hearing her request. Directing her to the abandoned attic room, he bowed, immediately leaving her alone as he returned to his duties.

Sakuno stifled a sneeze as dust particles swirled in the enclosed room. The disturbed layers of dust alerted her of the presence of others. She held a handkerchief over her nose to filter out the dust and the faint mouldy stench that seemed to permeate the room.

"Ryoga-kun, Ryoma-kun, where are you?" She spoke aloud to the seemingly empty room. Sakuno frowned when no one answered her, and almost shrieked when a large hand clamped over her mouth.

"Shhhhh! Don't alert others of our presence!" A voice she recognised as Ryoga hissed from her right. She nodded once in understanding and poked at the hand still covering her mouth. Ryoga removed his hands as the brothers removed the visual warp around them.

"Queen Rinko is looking for you," She told them in a lowered volume. "You better see her soon."

"Are you kidding? If we wanted to see anyone we wouldn't hiding here, would we?" Ryoma snorted.

"What did you two do again?" She deadpanned, well aware of the wayward tendencies of her two childhood friends. "I just saw the Sasabe family running by in rather eye-catching hues of colour."

Ryoga waved away her accusations. "Accidents happen. Don't think too much about them."

"Oh, Queen Rinko said that you better turn up, or she'll make sure you choose to welcome death with open arms rather than face her wrath…" She dutifully repeated. "Her words, not mine."

Ryoga dropped to one knee in mock apprehension and his hands clenched over his heart. "Oh no! My cute little Sakuno-chan is threatening me! She's all grown up!" And just as fast, the devastated look was replaced by a devious one as he slung an arm across her shoulder. "So, care to go for that date now that we can skip to the adult stuff?"

Sakuno's face flushed bright red as imaginary steam burst out of her ears. In her panic and embarrassment, she unintentionally gave Ryoga an uppercut to his chin. A loud "Stupid Ryoga!" could be heard as she fled the room in hysterics. Ryoma laughed himself into tears at the stupefied look on his brother's face. Ryoga shook himself out of his stupor and whacked Ryoma across the head.

"Come on, I don't know about you but I would like to prevent Okaa-san from unleashing her fist of fury." The two teleported away, just as an angry multi-coloured mob, attracted by Sakuno's outburst, burst into the now-silent, unoccupied room.

* * *

The two appeared in Rinko's study room. They noted, with apprehension, that Rinko's back was facing them. Rinko began to open her mouth, when she was cut off by the both of them fighting to get a word in at the same time.

"It was an accident…"

"…weren't supposed to…"

"…there was no harm done…"

"…bringing joy to the palace…"

"…attract unicorns…"

In unrehearsed synchronisation, they did a ninety-degree bow and shouted, "We are extremely sorry!"

Rinko blinked. "So that's what the din outside was about… No, I wasn't going to talk about that…" The brothers sighed in relief, but quickly straightened up when Rinko shot them a glare. "…although I'd greatly appreciate if you two would end it at that."

"Yes Kaa-chama(2)," They chirped, giving their best angelic look and emitting innocent vibes.

"Where was I?" She asked rhetorically, "Ah yes, I wanted to tell you earlier but I never had the opportunity. This year, we are going to hold a banquet to gather all the sovereigns of other kingdoms after the Renatus!"

"…ah…" They stated blankly.

"Oh! What an event it would be! We can display our world-class hospitality, and _of course_ only the best of the best would do," Rinko gushed happily. "We will leave everyone in awe of our spectacular, magnificent, extravagant… cough… Sorry, I'm going off-track. Anyway, you will reach the age of your majority on your next birthday, Ryoma. It will do you good to get to know the ruling parties of other kingdoms. We see them rarely enough as it is, so make use of this opportunity to get to know them. Better to make allies than enemies, yes? But that doesn't mean we shouldn't demonstrate the prowess and might of our kingdom! Muahahahahahah!"

Rinko turned to look at her sons and the maniacal laughter died from her lips at the unimpressed expression on their faces. Looking decidedly abashed, she cleared her throat and continued, "As I was saying, it will be your sixteenth birthday this year and this might be a good opportunity to find your High Priest. It would be best if you can find someone competent. I mean, we do have choices among the powerful advisors on our side but they aren't necessarily good ones. Too much politics involved in the choice of faction, you see. It would upset the power balance.

"Now that I think about it, no wonder they were so happy about your father's and my marriage. The Takeuchi line has dominated the position of High Priest for many years, and now that we're out of the running, it means those vultures have a chance…(3)" She muttered darkly, completely forgetting the presence of her audience. The audience in question looked at each other, weighing their chances of leaving before she had any chance to enact her punishment. As they inched towards the door, Rinko chose that moment to turn her attention back to them.

"You two…" Ryoma and Ryoga froze for a moment at the chilling voice, hesitantly turning around to face the face of Doom. Their internal panic went along the lines of 'UhOhUhOhUhOhUhOhUhOhUh-'

"No more pranks, you hear me?" She stated offhandedly. Not wanting to test their luck further, they quickly gave acquiescence and ran off.

That spelt the end of Operation Annoy-Oyaji.

* * *

The week passed peacefully enough (by the standards of Seigaku) until the arrival of the last sunset preceding the Renatus. The whole Kingdom buzzed with activities as the citizens rushed around to finish their last errands before the midnight curfew began. Arrays of shops amassed throngs of buyers as they haggled with the shopkeepers, and livestock traded hands at rapid speed. The exuberance of the city was tangible, the air filled with strong anticipation and humming with excitement.

As the last light of the day faded away, street lamps flickered to life, the flames within dancing in a hypnotic sway. It was the darkest night of the year; the silhouette of the new moon could be barely seen behind blackened clouds that adorned the sky. The beauty of the glimmering city was made even more apparent in the mysterious night. To the people, the Renatus was a symbol of a new beginning, a new chance to start on a clean slate. The official celebration would begin at sunrise, but the festive mood could already be felt as the citizens slowly counted down to the commencement of the Renatus.

As midnight approached, the trickle of people slowly died off. The stragglers scurried back indoors before the all-encompassing restraining magic took effect. Teams of Guards were deployed on a last patrol of the area. Finally, all activities ceased.

* * *

Shrouded in darkness, Nanjirou and Rinko stood facing each other on the circumference of the pre-drawn magic circle. The magical runes, inscribed deeply from echelons ago, bore no sign of weathering even with exposure of the rock surface to the elements. A freezing wind carried across the compound, buffeting strongly against the two sole occupants. White robes fluttered gracefully in tandem.

Nanjirou breathed deeply, mentally running through the procedures again in a mantra. It helped to calm his mind and hone his focus. As the last thoughts cleared from his mind, he opened his eyes. "Let us begin," He announced sombrely. He felt an acquiescence from his High Priestess.

With that, he expanded his mind, reaching out to the far-flung borders of the kingdom, the strain barely noticeable for someone of his capability. Once secured, he tuned his magic to match with the magic particles lingering in the air. Gradually, they began resonating with his own, emitting a bright glow as they gained greater energy. Humming and vibrating, the ambient magic particles radiated in a surreal brilliance matched only by stars in a clear night sky. Kings and High Priests of the past had waxed poetic at the mesmerising sight, but few had done it enough justice. Nanjirou personally favoured Rinko's exclamation on their first ritual. "They are so much like stars! So beautiful! But stars are distant. Stars are cold. These, these are warm. And they are touchable!" It wasn't the most eloquent description he heard, but it allowed him to relate to the glowing particles more closely than any other description.

Stars were distant. Stars were other-worldly. Stars were unreachable. Perhaps the reason he loved stargazing so deeply was tied to a desire for reminiscence of the ritual's spellbinding beauty. Magic particles were so much more than stars- they were the very essence of life.

Researchers and scholars had made ground-breaking discoveries in the distant past that still held true in current days. One of these was that magic existed in three states like all objects- solid, liquid and gas. The solid form was the most condensed, concentrated form of magic. A tiny fleck could fuel a small town for more than a month. They were exceedingly rare and almost never found in nature. The liquid form was much more common as it was the physical form in which humans were able to manifest their magic, although it was exceedingly taxing on their bodies. Therefore, liquid magic doubled both as Seigaku's currency, and fuel for magical technologies. The currency value depended on the liquid's density (the more dense, the more concentrated in magic, and hence, the more valuable). As the name suggested, magical technologies required magic as fuel. The more energy consuming ones utilised magic in the solid form. The gaseous form was, perhaps, the most useless of all forms. They were sublimated in large amounts as solid and liquid magic slowly decreased in density from constant usage. These gases remained inert and resisted nearly all attempts at making use of them. This was where the Renatus came in.

Nanjirou concentrated strongly on the magic particles, willing them to gather from across the country. Drawn by his call, the multitude of glowing particles swarmed towards him in thin rivulets. With practised ease, he directed the streams towards Rinko. 'Our very own little milky way,' she had once mentioned. It brought a little twist to the side of his mouth.

Rinko expertly received the incoming particles, physically creating a nucleation site for them to coalesce and precipitate. As they trickled towards her, the particles slowly grew closer and tighter to one another; by the time they reached her, they had turned into clear sparkling liquid. The fluid then flowed down to the ground where the lit runes, boosting Rinko's magic, caused crystals to gradually grow from it. As the last of the magic particles gathered, the crystals fully formed into hexagonal shards that protruded upwards, each nearly the size of a human toddler.

Nanjirou huffed as the ritual finally ended, glancing around at the transparent shards shimmering in rainbow hues. "Last year's magic usage seems to have increased a little, huh?" Rinko hummed noncommittally in reply, opting to alert her sons that had been standing guard outside the chamber. Ryoga quickly gathered the bankers and their guards to transport the magic crystals to the heavily-guarded safe. Ryoma poked his head in to take a quick look, before noticing that his parents were staring at him in amusement. He huffed and quickly withdrew his head to stare nonchalantly at a random patch on the wall.

As the last of the crystals were moved to the bank for future distribution, Rinko clapped her hands together and turned to look at the rest of her family with a maniacal gleam in her eyes. "Now that the ritual is done and over with, we can now focus on preparing a never-to-be-seen-before banquet that will leave others trembling on their knees. We have lots to prepare for…" She rubbed her hands in glee. Oh yes, much to prepare for…

The trio eyed one another, and resignedly sighed in tandem.

* * *

(1) Osprey is a bird that feeds on fishes.

(2) A combination of Okaa-san (mother), –chan (an honorifics with slight endearment), and –sama (an honorifics for someone of a higher position). Basically, they were trying to get on her good side by trying to be adorable and respectful.

(3) The ritual requires two powerful magic users of different bloodline. Ryoma, as an offspring of the Echizen line and the Takeuchi line, need to find a powerful person of a different bloodline to be his High Priest.

* * *

To Guest reviewer: Thank you for the review! I didn't really expect someone to catch the part about Ryoma being the next-in-line to the throne as I wasn't being very specific about it. Hope this chapter clears your question. If not, it is because in this society that structured based on magic, the person with the greatest magic capacity would be the next leader. In this case, that would be Ryoma.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Happy New Year's eve! Thanks everyone for the reviews, follows and favourite!

Confession from the geographically-challenged writer: I just found out that my fictional ritual nicely coincides with the Spring Equinox and I may have accidentally made Sakura trees bloom earlier than normal and maple trees shady when they should only start leafing. Let's all pretend that trees in the palace are mythical and bloom earlier yeah? We have all-year summer here. Sue me.

No offense meant to anyone for adopting some countries' cultures as the bases for this fic's countries.

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

* * *

The first ray of light spilled across the land, the rise of the sun as ancient as it was new. The weight of the restraining magic lifted and faded away, giving way to the burst of festive vigour. Robins trilled in lyrical waxing of music and flew in graceful aerial dances. Their melodious voices were easily drowned out however, as towns and cities bustled in liveliness and were astir with people. Smiles adorned faces as families, friends and neighbours exchanged well wishes of prosperity and good health.

It was such a stark contrast, to a rather unbefitting scowl plastered on Ryoma face. The servants had all but pounced on him while he was dead to the world, dragging him out from the comfort of his bed and frogmarched him straight to the adjacent bathroom. The matching sadistic grins on the servants' faces would probably stick with him for a long time as they attacked him with fervour using brushes, sponges and soaps. By the time he escaped the clutches of evil, Ryoma felt as though his skin had been rubbed raw and was glowing with an unnatural redness. He wondered if it was in retaliation for all the troubles he had caused them over the past sixteen years of his life. A shudder ran down his spine as he turned to look at the bathroom door, all instinct screaming at him to put as much distance as possible between them. His body must have been moving subconsciously, when he rammed into a wall that he never recalled having in his bedchambers. He turned to glare at the source of obstruction from his escape, and all thoughts fled his mind as a looming figure with the build of a bodybuilder held a gleaming needle in his left hand, an ominously snipping scissors in his right.

* * *

The tailor was pleased with himself. Rolls of fine silk and matte fluttered in the air and scissors danced in precise movement to an unheard rhythm. Every piece of cloth carefully trimmed and fully utilised without a single wastage. He had heard horror stories of trying to fit Prince Ryoma from other royal tailors but the Prince had been strangely accommodating and stayed stock-still throughout the entire measurement. He wondered if it was the statement he made about Queen Rinko giving him full permission to use all means necessary to get his formal attires out, or the various pointy objects levitating dangerously around the room. He snorted through a mouthful of needles of various sizes as he separated a piece of dark green silk into eight strips and began the process of sewing them together again. It was no wonder the Queen had told him to ambush the young Prince on the day of the festival rather than days before. Higher chance of getting him into the attire and less opportunity for him to wreck it.

The kimono was completed in less than a few hours, an impressive feat that even Ryoma would admit. He winced as the tailor gave a particularly hard tug at the Koshihimo (1) to tighten it.

"Is this level of formality necessary? Seems a bit overdone if you ask me." Ryoma muttered as the tailor fitted the striped Hakama (2) over, cautiously eyeing the sharp pins in his mouth. The taller man opened his mouth and let the pins drift lazily into the air.

"Queen Rinko insisted on the most formal attire for this special event." He replied matter-of-factly. "Please lift your arms higher."

The Prince rolled his eyes and acquiesced, allowing the tailor to complete the attire with a dark green Haori (3) and attaching a silver tassel called the Haori-himo (4) to secure the Haori.

"Oh wonderful!" Queen Rinko entered the room in a flourish, sakura petals fluttering against a background of shimmering silver as her kimono shifted with her small, delicate steps. Scissors and needles silently opened a path for the regal Queen. "I am very pleased, Carter. Would you consider becoming Ryoma's personal tailor?"

'Huh… Carter? Sounds foreign… Wait, what? Personal tailor?' Ryoma's eye widen in horror.

"I would be greatly honoured, my Queen." The towering man gave a deep bow.

Rinko returned it with a nod, pleased. She glanced at Ryoma, "come, let us find Nanjirou and Ryoga, the guests would start arriving soon." With a parting nod at Carter, Rinko left with Ryoma trailing behind.

* * *

The servants paused from their arrangements of scrolls in the hallways to bow at the two members of royalty, whom Rinko acknowledged with smiles and nods. Ryoma fidgeted uncomfortably a step behind, unused to spending time with his mother alone. If Rinko noticed his awkwardness, she did not comment on it. She smiled at her son and casually relayed titbits of information regarding other countries to him.

It was rather regrettable that countries kept minimal direct contact with one another for fear that there would be an outflow of magic. Magical transportation would convert liquid magic fuels to the gaseous states, which would linger in the area until the Renatus gathered them back. It was thus believed that crossing the borders on magical transportation would lessen the amount of magic owned by the country itself. As such, while transportation methods were extremely advanced within countries, those required for traversing across borders were limited to rather primitive methods such as horse carriages. Fortunately, the royalty of other countries would arrive by a faster, albeit magic-costly long distance teleportation.

Ryoma listened intently as his mother painted beautiful descriptions of some of the capitals, eagerly picking up details of places he never had a chance to see or learn about. "… Fudomine is surrounded by mountain ranges, hence its name, which translates to 'Unmoving mountain'. It used to be filled with bandits and other unsavoury figures due to its slight isolation but the Tachibanas restored order to a land of chaos. Impressive feat if you ask me. Rikkaidai is scenic too! The…." She trailed off to a stop as she slid open the traditional Shoji doors to the Great Hall. Ryoma peeked over her shoulders to see what caused the slight shaking of her frame. He almost burst out laughing at the scene.

Nanjirou and Ryoga held the ends of the Haori, ridiculously flapping the cloth in an imitation of Mishura, who whistled and flew around the gigantic room. They ran after the osprey, all the while flapping and twirling with a decidedly idiotic grin on their faces, the Haori-himo long disappeared somewhere in the room.

Ryoma discreetly shifted a distance away from the explosion about to occur, as Rinko appeared increasingly incensed. As the duo ran by her, she struck out to yank Nanjirou's hair in one hand, and sharply rapped Ryoga's head with her knuckles on the other. Both yelled in pain and indignation, until they stared at the looming figure of Rinko. They grinned sheepishly, slightly embarrassed from the earlier antics. Rinko rubbed her temples tiredly, wondering why she even bothered. Ryoma poked his head into the room, stepping in when it appeared that he would not be caught in any form of crossfire.

"Straighten out your clothes, the guests will arrive soon." She instructed with a resigned tone. The two began combing the room for the two missing Haori-himo under the matriarch's watchful eyes. Ryoma discreetly levitated one of the missing items down from the ceiling lamp.

"What was that about?" Ryoma whispered as he huddled closer to Ryoga to pass it to him.

Ryoga grinned in thanks as he fastened the Haori-himo properly. "Rare chance to wear something more comfortable than the usual stuffy suits on formal occasion. Of course we have to enjoy it to the best of our abilities!"

The younger brother shrugged at the declaration, taking out a small piece of fish from his pouch that he kept at hand for Karupin. He threw the snack up to Mishura, who snapped it from mid-air as he glided by. A triumphant cry of success resounded in the room as Nanjirou found his golden tassel dangling from a calligraphy scroll on elegance and dignity.

The entire family headed to the back of the Great Hall where another sliding door was located. A couplet occupied both sides of the door, illuminated by glowing spherical lanterns placed directly above the vertical strip of fine parchments. It was a gift from the Emperor of Rikkaidai from eons ago, a symbolic representation of the friendship between the two neighbouring countries. The door rattled softly as it slid open, light spilling into the dimmer but equally spacious room on the other side. Nanjirou confidently strode in, followed by the others as they stepped past the door.

A humongous oblong mirror stood in the centre of the room, strategically placed on a rotating platform with markings inscribed onto the floor in the semblance of a compass. The gilded frame was embedded with gemstones and magic solids, the gold serving as a magic amplifier and gemstones serving as secondary sources of pre-stored magic in addition to the solid magic crystals. Runes were painted on the mirror with liquid magic for a one-time use, meticulously drawn in an incomplete circle, where the gaps would be filled by the runes on other linking mirror. The mirror was currently aligned southwest.

Advisor Ryuusaki and Advisor Sasabe glanced up from their final preparations and bowed to the royals, although Sasabe shot the siblings a dirty look for their previous pranks.

"What's with the squawking outside earlier?" Ryuusaki eyed Nanjirou suspiciously. Nanjirou blinked innocently back.

"Hmm? I don't know what you're talking about. It's probably Mishura." He waved off the accusation and went over to inspect the setup. "Ooooh, excellent work as usual."

"Yes that's right, go ahead and change the topic," Ryuusaki droned, "the other two squawking voices were just Mishura imitating two certain royals." Rinko discreetly coughed into her hand while Ryoma sounded like he was choking. Ryoga elbowed his brother in annoyance. Nanjirou cleared his throat as his eyes twitched dangerously.

"I think it's almost the agreed time, let's activate the portal." The others acquiesced with an upward turn on their lips. The runes on the mirror glowed blue as the advisors imbued some magic into it to begin the process. After a few minutes, the gaps between the runes glowed with the complementary runes from the other portal to complete the circle. The advisors stepped aside as the link was established.

The mirror surface rippled as a limb pushed through the surface effortlessly. A figure in a well-tailored suit emerged, who turned back to offer his hand to a petite lady following behind. The brunette extended a curiously bandaged hand to clasp the offered hand, her other hand carefully holding the hem of a flowing forest-green gown. Right after, two teenagers bearing striking resemblance to the couple entered one after the other, the brother and sister dressed just as smartly. Ryoma found his eyes glued to an enormous rhinoceros beetle comfortably resting on the head of the young girl. A few more people step through the gateway one by one, until the last of the entourage, an exuberant red-haired boy hopping from one foot to the other, crossed over. The Shitenhouji had arrived.

Nanjirou and Rinko stepped forward to greet the approaching group. "Long time no see, old friend! How have you been?" Nanjirou bellowed to King Shiraishi.

"Good, good! Glad to see you as energetic as ever!" The easy-going patriarch answered warmly.

The men shook hands and promptly launched into conversation like old time friends, hearty laughter filling the room. Rinko smiled and bowed to the other queen, who returned with a curtsy, exchanging pleasantries in a more subdued manner. Ryoma felt a little out-of-place as he lingered slightly behind, watching the others mingle and interact comfortably. He felt a little miffed that Ryoga had abandoned him in favour of striking a conversation with the princess. Feeling bored and left out, he turned away only to nearly jump out of his skin when a face appeared uncomfortably close to him. The energetic boy from earlier continued his scrutinising for a few moments more, before seemingly coming to a conclusion with a pleased look. He pointed at Ryoma and proudly declared, "You are chibi Koshimae! Hey chibi Koshimae, play with me!"

The loud announcement temporarily brought silence to the room. The princess quickly rushed forward to slap a hand over the boy's mouth to prevent him from blurting out anymore sentences. Muffled protests could be heard as he tried to wriggle away, succeeding when he poked at her side.

"Kin-chan, it's Echizen, not Koshimae." The prince gently admonished as he came over with Ryoga.

"Eh? Chibi Koshimae is Chibi Koshimae!" The boy protested indignantly. Ryoga choked with laughter at the back.

"I guess I have no other choice," the prince began to unravel the bandages on his left arm. Curiously, the red-haired boy paled and tried to put as much distance between the two as possible. Laughing, the prince shook his head at the antics of the younger boy and turned his attention to Ryoma. "Sorry about Kin-chan, he has always been a little overenthusiastic. Greetings, Prince Ryoma, I am Shiraishi Kuranosuke, Crown Prince of Shitenhouji. This is my sister Yukari and he's Tooyama Kintarou… Wait, where's Koharu and Yuuji?" A slight panic ensued among the Shitenhouji entourage.

The High Priest of Shitenhouji, Watanabe Osamu, laughed sheepishly and redrew the magic runes on the mirror with the permission from Seigaku. As soon as the gateway opened, two figures jumped through and began yelling indignantly at having been left behind. The Seigaku members stared speechlessly at the two new additions. Both of them were dressed in figure-hugging bodices covered with a myriad of colourful feathers, three peacock feathers sticking out from their golden headdress.

"We said to leave at twelve, not spend twelve hours in your dressing room." King Shiraishi chastised.

The teenager in the buzz cut hairstyle turned abruptly to his partner with arms akimbo. "Look at what you did! Now we're late because you were so slow!"

"But Koharu, you're the one who wanted to show our majestic Pachi Puchi Puri peacock dance tribute to the unity of love…" The other lamented, shaking two Maracas to emphasize it.

"Hmmph, I guess I can look past that in the name of making people laugh." Koharu muttered.

"Ah! How rude of us!" Rinko exclaimed. "Esteemed guests, please follow us to your quarters for some refreshments."

Ryoma sighed as the group trickled out slowly. This would be a long day.

* * *

"Here Karupin," Ryoma waved a strand of peacock feather at the kitten who pawed at it in earnest. Koharu had offered everyone a feather as a present and apology for his tardiness. Ryoma figured that he wouldn't mind the feather being put to good use as Karupin's new toy.

The royals were operating on rotation to standby at the gateway to welcome the guests. He was probably a little late in taking over Ryoga but figured that his brother wouldn't mind it too much if there were female guests around to entertain. He was drawn away from his thoughts when Karupin suddenly started hissing, fur fluffing up to twice his size. He glanced around warily; whatever Karupin didn't like, he probably wouldn't like very much either.

Footsteps could be heard approaching from around the corner, signalling a group of people drawing closer. Ryoma tensed as the group came into view, identifying them as guests attending the celebration. At the head of the group was a teenager with purplish-grey hair, a tear mole below his right eye and an Afghan Hound. The eyes of the large dog lit up as though eyeing a piece of bone when it saw Karupin. Deciding that preserving his life was more important than his pride, Karupin turned invisible and took off. Unfortunate for Karupin, the Afghan Hound easily located the cat with its sense of smell and hearing. It happily pranced after the invisible cat, its long fur flying against the wind. Ryoma secretly sent a prayer for Karupin, aware that ignoring the guests in preference of saving his cat would probably land him in trouble with Rinko.

Speaking of said guests… The leader lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. A person with a build similar to Carter stepped forward.

"Kabaji, go get Beat."

"Usu." The large man shuffled after the dog.

Ryoma had the strangest impression that the dog's owner had sent one myrmidon after the other. No, he corrected himself internally, more like monkeys, led by a Monkey King. He pictured a monkey tail and a golden crown coupled with the frills on the leader's purple dress shirt and his lips curled.

"Ahn? Ore-sama thinks he's magnificent too but there's no need to stare so hard." The statement was accompanied by an upward tilt of his head and a hand combing through his hair. Ignoring Ryoma's appalled expression at the very thought, he continued. "Ore-sama shall be generous, however, and allow you to fawn over ore-sama. Be awed at the sight of my prowess!"

"I am awed indeed," Ryoma replied with a straight voice, but the twitching eyebrow gave away his scathing thoughts, "a talking Monkey King leading a merry band of monkeys. This is one for the records."

Said Monkey King's jaw dropped in horror, taken aback by the sheer audacity of the boy in front of him. The group behind felt a cross between annoyance at being labelled a monkey and amusement at the expense of their leader.

"He got you there, Prince Atobe." A red-haired teen yelled from the back. Snickers followed the declaration.

"Care to repeat that, you plebeian?" Prince Atobe hissed. No one had ever dared to act so impudently towards him.

"I said that I am awed, Monkey King," Ryoma drawled, "Although, can't you control your minions? I'd prefer it if your dog doesn't run amok after seeing anything that moves."

"Are you insinuating that I can't control my followers?"

"It's not an insinuation, it's a direct insult." Ryoma retorted with a smirk, before adding as an afterthought, "Monkey King."

Atobe snapped. "That's it, brat. You and I, Tennis Court, _now_. Or do you not know how to play?"

"Nobody beats me in tennis," Ryoma declared. "Follow me, and don't get lost."

"Hey, Prince Atobe, I think he might be the younger prince of Seigaku." Someone muttered behind.

Atobe snorted, "Of course he is, he looks like Prince Ryoga, though the personality is much more appalling. It will be satisfying to put the brat in his place."

* * *

Tennis was an oddity. In a world where magic ruled, 'no magic allowed' seemed like a gross mistake. An anomaly. Yet, it was precisely the attraction of 'no magic' that made the game such a popular pastime among the rich and affluent. A magic battle, especially of the scale of magic by royalty, could be devastating without proper preparations and regulations.

To repress magic usage, the tennis balls, racquets, and courts were embedded with a small amount of orichalcum to absorb any stray magic. Hilariously, even in a magically-sterile environment, tennis moves were created by players in a resemblance of their magic. Referees were often baffled by nearly unrealistic shots, despite the lack of signal from the magic detection device. Most referees resigned themselves to carrying multiple devices in order to convince everyone as well as themselves that magic was really not utilised. King Nanjirou himself had such godly tennis skills that referees were known to toggle with five different sets of detectors, often resulting in tragicomedies of a detector or two falling from the high chair and being smashed into smithereens. They weren't cheap.

The referee for the match between Prince Atobe and Prince Ryoma wiped his palms nervously, fully aware of the significance of supervising this particular match. He gave a small prayer as he awkwardly clambered up the chair with six detectors.

 _Please don't let me drop anything. Please don't let me drop anything. Please don't…_

* * *

The two prideful opponents stood on opposite sides of the court in preparation of a face off. The tension was palpable even from the stands where the Hyotei entourage stood. The silence shattered when Atobe suddenly flung his arms apart, and cheers loud as thunder shook the court. Ryoma blinked at the sudden appearance of a three-hundred-strong crowd. They were just suddenly there.

"The winner will be Hyotei! The loser will be Seigaku!" The crowd chanted. Ryoma narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Wasn't there some limit to the number of foreign dignitaries allowed into the country?

"Kyaaaa! Atobe-sama!" A large female crowd screamed. He flicked his eyes over and did a double-take. Was that _Ryoga_ cheering among them? Ryoma fumed as he saw Ryoga surreptitiously hooked his arms around two busty cheerleaders on either side of him. So that was the traitor who let them in.

Among the initial entourage of Hyotei, the group was whispering among themselves.

"Oi Mukahi, we should cheer too. Atobe-sama would have our head if he saw us slacking off."

"Huh? Look at Jirou, he's not cheering either." The red-haired teen replied as he pointed at the sleeping person next to him.

"Can you sleep through carrying two buckets of water as punishment like him? No? So cheer." The group added lacklustre cheers to the cacophony of noises.

"Victor is Atobe! Victor is Atobe! Victor is…" Atobe pointed to the sky and snapped. Silence befell the court.

"It's Ore-sama!" He yelled. The crowd burst into adoring screams. Pleased, Atobe regarded the unimpressed Prince. "Brat, if I lose to you, I will shave off my hair!"

"Oh? If I lose to you, I will shave off my hair too!

"Hn hn hn hn…" Ryoma snickered ominously.

"Hn hn hn hn…" Atobe snickered back.

"AHAHAHAHA!" The maniacal laughter burst out from Ryoma.

"AHAHAHAHA!" Atobe replied in turn.

"MUAHAHAHAHAHA! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MUAHAHAHA….." The depraved laughter harmonised and sent chills down the spines of everyone present.

"They… synchronised…" Ryoga muttered.

* * *

"One set match! Echizen to serve!"

Ryoma tested the tennis ball against the ground a few times, an instinctual habit borne from years of practice. He briefly considered holding back against the other, but the prince simply rubbed him the wrong way. The laughing match had been a challenge issued towards each other, and it was apparent that neither would back down. 'If that's how it is…' Ryoma tightened the grip of his right hand and let loose a Twist Serve. 'Challenge accepted!'

Atobe had swiftly moved to the area of impact, but the sharp angle of the bounce forced him to duck his head in reflex as the ball shot towards his face. His eyes widened minutely at the unorthodox ball movement, then a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. 'So that's how you're playing it,' Atobe mused, as his face settled into a slight frown of concentration. Murmurs could be heard in the backdrop about the high level serve being executed. When the second Twist Serve came flying, he merely angled his head away from the incoming ball and observed.

When the third Twist Serve was released, he swung his body sideway and sliced the ball. He let out a soft laugh when the return was executed perfectly according to his plan, racing to the leftmost corner of the court at where Prince Ryoma returned. The short rally ended in Ryoma's favour, who also took the next point, bringing the game to one game to love.

"Is that all? I'm unimpressed, Monkey King." Ryoma taunted as they switched courts, his favourite racquet still held in his right hand.

"Ahn? I wasn't even serious yet. If you want to lose so badly…" Atobe decided that now was a good time as any to show off his new serve and give that brat something to think about. "Tanhauser Serve!"

The crowd roared as the ball spun rapidly without bouncing upon impact. 'No bounce… I would need to hit it before it hits the ground…' It was a sound plan, but the spin and power of the shot was beyond the expectation of Ryoma. The ball tugged hard at the gut of the racquet, sending it flying out of Ryoma's hand. Ryoma silently bent down to pick up the fallen racquet in the midst of the cheering. 'Don't think you have won yet, Monkey King!' He switched the racquet to his dominant hand. He twitched when he heard one of the spectators pondering loudly on whether he could even hit with his left hand. 'Why would I switch my left hand if I can't use it?' He thought darkly. His left arm had always held more strength but it was cumbersome to keep switching between a right-hand Twist Serve and left-hand playing style if the opponent was weak. That serve gave Atobe some cookie points at least, so he shall go with his best form too. With his dominant hand, he successfully broke the serve, much to the delight of the now-larger crowd, with additions of other emissaries. Another rally started as a result, which ended with a well-placed smash from Atobe.

The gap between the points remained small as the two tenacious players refused to give way and took as many points as they loss. Ryoma's Drive B was countered with a Super-Rising, which allowed Atobe to return before the ball begin to arc. It spoke volumes of Atobe's skill, as Super-Rising is a finicky shot. Angling the racquet down too much would sent the ball flying beyond the court, and could even hit the user if it was poorly done. Ryoma displayed skills just as impressive, by combining Nitoryu and one-foot-split-step to counter Atobe's Rondo Towards Destruction. Atobe was both miffed and impressed that it was easily countered with Ryoma's quick reflexes to grab the racquet with his other hand in time to counter the second smash when the first hit the racquet out of his hand. Deciding to pull ahead at four games all, Atobe brought out one of his most powerful skill, World of Ice.

Ryoma swore that he could almost see the shards of ice piercing the ground around him and the chill that permeated the court. 'How terrifying. It's almost like seeing your weakness unmasked in the open.' Ryoma thought, sweat running down his temple. His body froze every time the ball made contact with one of the imaginary shards, landing on the blind spot that his body couldn't react in time to.

The point gap grew steadily greater, as did the pressure on Ryoma. He recollected the many matches he had in the past with his father and brother, and only one move stood out to him. 'Samurai Zone,' he thought, 'Adding spin on the ball to direct it towards you… I know the technicalities behind the move, but up till now, I never really managed to control the ball… No, even if I couldn't make the ball rotate towards me, I just need to make it spin away from the blind spots. I guess it's all or nothing…' With every return, he subtly added a specific spin to the ball. As the chill crept up his body again, he cautiously watched the ball as it flew towards the shard positioned near his left foot. It was a minute swerve, but Ryoma picked up on it instantly the moment the ball sliced by the shard with the barest contact. The unexpected lob made the crowd roar with excitement as he scored back a point. Slowly but gradually, the gap closed up again until they finally reached tiebreaker.

"117-all!" The referee croaked, voice scratchy and barely loud enough to carry across the crowd. Both players, exhausted beyond belief, collapsed onto the ground. The crowd was hollering and yelling words of encouragement for the two players, completely moved by their determination and persistence. It would have been perfectly fine for the match to be considered a draw, but they knew that the unconscious players would not accept that, and everyone secretly hoped for a conclusive ending to this epic match.

Atobe was the first to stand. He had to slowly get to his knees- a position he would never find himself in under normal conditions, before he used his racquet as a support to stand on wobbly legs. He straightened nonetheless, tall and proud, as cheers resounded throughout the court. It seemed as though Atobe would be winning this match, but Ryoma slowly picked himself up as well. The volume of the cheers seemed to have doubled from that. Ryoma tiredly made a half-hearted attempt of Twist Serve, with half of the usual speed and rotation. The ball flew past Atobe, who stood as still as a statue. The cheers had died at this moment, as everyone realised that Prince Atobe had lost consciousness after he made his last stand, their hearts filled with respect.

"I guess it's too bad. This game is mine." Ryoma spoke between pants, scoring the last point needed to win the game.

"Game, set and match, Prince Echizen Ryoma, 7 games to 6!" The referee cheered along with the crowd, finally glad that the nerve-wrecking match was finally over. One of his legs had cramped up in the middle and he almost dropped a detector on Prince Atobe when they were switching courts. He knew better now. Breaking detectors weren't the only horror of tennis matches.

That day, the legend of the horror of prolonged tennis matches began.

* * *

"Hmm… I really don't want to do this while you've lost your senses," Ryoma mused in a tone that suggested anything but as he strolled up to the other prince with a shaver, "but a promise is a promise." Out of a sudden, he found himself surrounded by Hyotei's entourage. One of them even knelt down to offer his hair up as a replacement for their prince. "I made that bet with Prince Atobe," Ryoma protested. The kneeling person snatched the shaver and was about to shave his own head, but a hand stopped it.

"Did you think that something like this would make me any less beautiful?" Atobe took the shaver.

Locks of fine hair drifted gracefully to the ground to lie in a sad heap at Ryoma's feet.

Now sporting a shorn head that didn't look half bad, Atobe haughtily declared, "There, Ore-sama fulfilled my end of the bargain."

"What? How is this considered shaving? Half of your hair is still on your head!" Ryoma retorted indignantly. "Shave all of it off!"

"Are you serious? This is preposterous I tell you!" Atobe roared.

"He expects Prince Atobe to shave bald? Prince Koshimae is an oni(5) I tell you, oni!" Koharu muttered from the stands. Soft mutterings continued among the spectators.

Seeing this, Ryoga quickly jumped in to intercede with a hand over Ryoma's mouth, just in time to save the argument from escalating into an international crisis. "Ahaha… Don't mind Ryoma, he is just joking."

"Indeed, Prince Atobe." Rinko injected smoothly as she regally strolled down from the stands. "Please excuse our Ryoma's rudeness, he meant no harm. That was the most splendid match I've seen in a while! I think I speak for all of us when I say that your determination and skills are admirable."

"You flatter me, Queen Rinko." Atobe gave a slight bow. Rinko nod back and turned to address the crowd.

"After such an exciting tennis match, it seems we might be a little hard-pressed to make the dinner impressive enough for everyone!" The crowd laughed good-naturedly. "However, we shall certainly do our best. Esteemed guests, please rest for a short while. We will send servants to escort you to the Great Hall in two hours' time. Please enjoy your stay."

Rinko and Ryoga politely smiled to the guests as they trailed off, while the hand was still firmly clasped across Ryoma's mouth. Kintarou ran up to them enthusiastically.

"Wah! That was amazing! Koshimae, you must play a match with me!" He jumped up and down on the spot. "Pretty please?"

"Kin-chan, none of that. Prince Ryoma just played a match." Prince Shiraishi intercepted.

"Eh? No no no I want a match now, just one ball please?" The boy clapped his hands together and pleaded.

"I guess I don't have a choice…" The prince started unravelling his bandages.

Kintarou eeped and quickly edged away. He sprinted up the stands and yelled to the remaining people left on the court. "Koshimae! Next time let's have a match! Any match is good with me!" He jumped a few more times and left the place to escape from the bandaged arm. Shiraishi bowed and went after the lively boy to prevent further mischief.

The court fell silent again as four people were left, with King Nanjirou meandering down the stairs. Ryoga finally released his hold and whistled cheerfully to ward of the death glare from Ryoma.

"Ryoma, that was inappropriate." Rinko chided at the youngest. "They are foreign emissaries, royalties of equal status. You must know how to show due respect and give some leeway to Prince Atobe."

"What? He started the bet! He should follow through!"

"Which he did," Rinko reminded him. The evidence twirled around them in eddies as the wind gusted.

"Not this half-hearted attempt of…"

"Ryoma." She warned. Ryoma sulked but did not protest anymore. Her stern countenance gentled as she stroked his head. "Learn to be more magnanimous and give him face. It was a good match, I'm proud of you."

"Betsuni (6)…" Ryoma muttered with a slight blush, pleased with the compliment from his mother.

"Good match indeed!" Nanjirou laughed boisterously. "But you are still…

"Mada mada daze!" Nanjirou and Ryoga chimed together. Ryoma's eyebrow twitched as he contemplated a hundred and one ways to throttle the two into oblivion.

"All right enough of that, go rest for a while." Rinko ushered them back with a small smile. Ryoma gave a last lingering look at the court as the wind carried the last few strands of hair away.

He turned and walked away.

* * *

"Karupin… Come down!" Ryoma coaxed. Karupin snootily stared down at Ryoma from his perch, unimpressed with the peacock feather and various other cat toys. "I didn't mean to leave you with the dog!"

A servant came running with a bucket of fresh tuna, nearly tripping over the toys scattered on the ground. Ryoma glared at the servant for taking such a long time. His temper was already frayed from dealing with the Monkey King, getting lectured by his mother, and then trying to convince his cat to forgive him. He regretted not going after his cat in the first place if he was going to be scolded either way. He grabbed the bucket and renewed his efforts. The servant quickly gathered the toys into a heap at the side of the passageway.

"Karupin… I have some fresh tuna here. Won't you come down?" Karupin stared a little longer. "I'll add one more bucket if you want!" Cocking his head to the side, Karupin contemplated and decided that the deal wasn't too bad. He gracefully landed on his feet and sauntered towards the bucket. Sighing in relief, he ordered the servant for a second bucket as he leaned down to scratch Karupin behind the ear. His thoughts drifted back to the unsatisfactory punishment. He admitted that the other prince was decent at tennis but rules were rules! How could that even be considered a shave? He would enact his own form of justice! First things first, he would need to borrow some hair dye from Ryoga's personal collection…

* * *

'Maybe I shouldn't have taken so much,' Ryoma mused as he struggled to hold five different bottles of assorted hair dyes in one arm while trying to pick the lock with a piece of wire. He was on a time limit as he spotted Atobe leaving the guest suite. 'Stay far far away for a long long time, Monkey King! Or at least until I'm done.'

The plan would have been difficult to execute had the location been elsewhere, since most living quarters had safeguard spells to prevent one from breaking in or teleporting into the room. The locks were reinforced with orichalcum as well. Atobe would have been wise enough to activate the security mechanism. Unfortunately for the Prince of Hyotei, he and his brother had played so many pranks in the Seigaku Palace that they could memorise the layouts and unlock almost every door, all in the name of pranks. 'Too bad, Monkey King,' Ryoma smirked at the thought, as the door clicked open. He confirmed that the place was devoid of another's presence and quickly made his way to the bathroom.

He opened the cupboard set in the alcove behind the bath tub and froze. The sight of what seemed like an infinite number of hair products in all shapes and sizes greeted him. He numbly grabbed the closest bottle and stared at the description. 'Your hair will glow with the radiance of the sun!' was the caption below a glaring picture of the sun. He shuddered and decided to get back to work.

He was halfway through when he heard the sound of the door opening, followed by the obnoxious voice of Atobe. He wasn't done yet! On instinct, he cast an invisibility spell and prayed hard that Atobe wouldn't enter the bathroom just yet. He was still busy fastening the bottle caps when Atobe spoke, sounding really close to the bathroom.

"Kabaji, do an excellent job of making my hair presentable, ahn?" Ryoma held his breath, he would be discovered! His brilliant prank! He silently bemoaned for the failure of his ingenious plan. "Let's go to the vanity room."

What?

"Usu." The footsteps travelled down further to another room.

Ryoma blinked. He was rather sure that the guest suites didn't have a vanity room. Shrugging, he decided that it was probably safe for him to tamper with a few more bottles while Atobe got his haircut in some converted room. He decided to forgo mixing different hair dyes like he did earlier and simply poured his remaining dyes randomly into the bottles to save time. It was such a terrifying yet thrilling experience, as his heart would stutter every time heavy footsteps shuffled past the bathroom at random intervals. He mentally gave himself a pat on the back when he replaced the last bottle back into the cupboard. Collecting the empty bottles of hair dye, he decided to poke around in the other cupboards- he must be thorough in his pranks, as Ryoga often preached. The cupboard above the sink was packed to the brim with facial products, some of which had uses he couldn't even pretend to know. The drawers beneath almost overflowed with skin products. Exactly how many of these were actually used by the Monkey King? Ryoma deemed the other a lost cause.

"Kabaji! Help me decide on a suit magnificent enough to amplify my awesomeness for dinner later! I brought a small collection of them over, though the room barely managed to fit everything. Seigaku has a small palace, ahn? Run me a lavender bath after that."

"Usu."

Definitely unsalvageable, Ryoma decided. Then it suddenly clicked that he might have dallied for too long and should have been getting dressed for the dinner. His mother would be furious. Time to make his escape! He teleported away while Atobe had a loud one-sided argument on which coloured suit would be more outstanding.

* * *

Rinko clucked her tongue in disapproval when Ryoma turned up in his once-new kimono, now frayed slightly along the edges from the tennis match with small patches of dye sprinkled at odd places.

"Carter, next time, make three copies of his attire, would you?" Rinko requested as she rubbed her temples. The tailor gave a positive reply as he tried to replace and salvage what he could. Trust Ryoma to wreck an outfit within a couple of hours.

Everyone jolted suddenly when an angry howl echoed. They warily glanced at each other before sprinting in the direction of the noise. Ryoma silently wondered if his prank had been a little too successful as he ran.

A crowd had already gathered in front of the guest room of Prince Atobe, with the King and Queen of Hyotei at the forefront, trying to get to their son in distress. The group was trying to persuade King Atobe against blasting the door open with magic, as there was a possibility of endangering the Prince if he happened to be within the blast range of the magic attack.

"Keigo, Keigo! Are you all right? Please be fine… Oh, my dear son!" The distraught Queen cried against the door, just as Nanjirou came running with the keys. "Bless you, King Nanjirou! Keigo dear, we are coming!" She fumbled with the keys in shaking hands and almost dropped it, but finally tightly clasped it with both hands and unlocked the door.

"No! Don't open the door!" Everyone frowned at the odd request. Was Prince Atobe held captive and threatened to stop anyone from entering? The situation seemed to be worse than they had thought. There was a general unease among the guests as they surrounded the door, none willing to back down should their assistance be necessary. Nonetheless, the younger generations had been ushered further away, with their families and the guards standing protectively between them and the door. A group of guards had gone round to the other side of the building where the windows and balconies faced, and were currently scattered around in adjacent balconies awaiting orders. The sudden turning of the door handle jolted everyone present as they prepared to launch magic. The door swung open to reveal the hulking built of Kabaji, who stared unblinkingly at the crowd.

"… Kabaji?" Queen Atobe piped from behind her husband.

"Prince Atobe… is fine. Just a problem… with his hair…"

Ryoma really wanted to escape at those words. If only he could do it without attracting any attention, but Kintarou had clung at his arms muttering about human-eating monsters. He really didn't expect an intervention of this scale!

King Atobe looked dubious at those words, but aware of the dramatic flair and vanity that the Prince had inherited from his mother. The Queen did not appear appeased, instead demanding to see her son safe and sound. Kabaji acquiesced by shuffling to the side as the harried mother rushed forward with her husband in tow. The rest of the crowd had tried to make their way past the bodyguard, but rejected with a firm "Prince Atobe will not allow others to enter". When the Queen shrieked, Rinko stalked up to demand him to let them pass as they could assist. Kabaji quietly moved out of the way. The others silently marvelled at how fierce Queen Rinko could be even in the face of a giant almost twice her height.

The sight that greeted them was as far as it could get from their initial thoughts. The younger generation burst out laughing at the outrageous sight. Even the Rikkaidai entourage, for all their decorum, had quite some difficulty keeping the laughter out of their faces. The others simply smiled or shook their heads good-naturedly.

"At least no one was hurt," King Shiraishi commented, before laughing boisterously.

The mortified Prince stood in his bathrobes, face frozen from shock at the humiliation of being the laughingstock of many nations gathered. The cause of his initial distress continued to flicker into different shades of colour, with odd patterns featured in his cropped hair like an odd display screen. At one moment, green polka dots against a pink background appeared, which morphed into blue flowers against a striking shade of orange.

The shades of red of the flush on the Prince's face increased in intensity with every flash of pattern, and he finally slammed the bathroom door close again. Queen Atobe wailed against the injustice done to her son and began demanding a search for the culprit as she shot distrustful glares at the snickering group.

"Eh… That hair kind of reminds me of the effect from my anti-illusion pattern hair dye…" Ryoga unthinkingly blurted out in his pondering and almost squeaked from the combined force of the glares from Queen Atobe and Queen Rinko. "It wasn't me though! I was with Oyaji the whole time!" He turned pleading eyes to his father, who gulped audibly when the attention turned to him.

"Ah… Yes I was with Ryoga… We have witnesses! We were with these pretty ladies here all the time!" Nanjirou yelled in defence. The Atobe's cheering squad chimed in their agreement.

"Oh? What were you doing with these 'pretty ladies'?" Rinko questioned with a sweet smile and a dark glare worthy of a demon. The tick on her forehead grew even more pronounced as they stuttered unbelievable excuses, but something tugged at her thoughts. The sudden recollection of splattered colours on a kimono flashed through her mind. "Then… Ryoma?"

Ryoma, who was trying to make himself as small as possible, blinked like a deer caught in headlights. It was glaringly obvious to the more perceptive eyes that Ryoma was the culprit. His body language practically screamed of guilt.

"Esteemed guests, we sincerely apologise for this complication. Dinner is in an hour's time. We will have this situation resolved with a proper explanation by then. The royal family of Seigaku once again apologise for this issue." The other dignitaries picked up on their cue to leave, muttering to one another the rest of the way.

"I hope you have a good explanation for this, Ryoma." Queen Rinko imparted before she beckoned them to follow her to her office.

Nanjirou and Ryoga looked at Ryoma with pity.

* * *

"So?" Rinko probed.

"…"

"We don't have all day, Ryoma." She pressed. Ryoma mumbled his reply under his breath, still not making eye contact. Everyone in the room jumped when Rinko lost her patience and slammed her hand on the table.

"… This afternoon…" Ryoma was still speaking in a subdued tone, but it was audible in the silent room. "Mon… Prince Atobe and I made a bet that whoever loses would shave their head. I thought that shaving means getting rid of all your hair! He just trimmed a little at the side! So… so I thought that if he won't shave off the rest of his hair, I would just make a situation where he had to do just that…"

"And you actually thought that this was a good idea?" Rinko was baffled. "You are aware of the international crisis we have on our hands due to this, don't you? This is considered an attack on the other prince!"

"It… didn't seem like that bad of an idea at that time…"Ryoma replied sheepishly. "I don't suppose a public apology alone would work?"

"Of course not," Rinko snorted at the very thought. "You met Queen Atobe. She values reputation above all else, and you just shot it to the moon by embarrassing the Prince. She will expect compensation, and a suitable punishment for the culprit." Ryoma gulped at the last part. "You are a Prince, Ryoma. The title isn't a decoration. You don't gain authority over people because of a title, it is when you earn that respect people have for your title that you have authority. I haven't seen you acting much like one, nor garnering enough respect for one. I must admit that we have been too negligent with regard to your discipline and upbringing. I'll have to correct that oversight, starting with your punishment. Your father and I will come up with a suitable punishment. Remain in your room until dinnertime. Ryoga, stay with him and watch him _properly_."

The two silent figures stepped forward once Rinko was done interrogating. King Nanjirou stared at his unruly son with a pinched look, then sighed and morphed to a resigned face. "I think your mother covered pretty much what I wanted to say." He ruffled Ryoma's hair and continued, "This time you have us to cover for you as much as we can, but there may not be a next time. I know that we are the sort of people who would think and still leap, but think a few more times, and not just from your perspective." He bent down to Ryoma's ear. "I'll try to convince your mother to lessen your punishment." He winked as he pulled away.

Ryoga just cuffed Ryoma's head and dragged him away with a casual wave to their parents. Once they were out of earshot, Ryoga solemnly intoned, "You just had to pick this shitty timing and use my dye." They walked the rest of the route in silence.

When the door closed behind them, Ryoga stared stonily for a few seconds, before his face contorted with laughter. "That was an awesome prank, chibisuke! I probably shouldn't encourage you more but I appreciate art when I see one. Still, I'd rather you pick someone with less power. Aww, don't give me that glum face!"

"I'm going to die," Ryoma despondently declared.

"I don't think your punishment will be an execution… probably…" The elder consoled. "Even if it was, it will surely be a quick death!"

"I didn't mean it literally, but now that you put that thought in my head…" Ryoma was looking even more desolated.

"It was a joke!" Ryoga shrieked. When Ryoma stared at him with a deadpanned look, he blinked and sighed. "I guess it's a good thing that you're still in a mood to crack jokes."

"I would accept whatever they decide, I did pull the prank expecting consequences." The young Prince sagged into the seat. "I'm worried, terrified even. But I must say that I feel so much better getting that indignation out of my mind."

"My cute little brother, it really isn't worth the trouble to correct what you deemed unjust. From what most of us see, the Prince shaving part of his head was in agreement with your bet. Your idea of fair play is rather different from the majority. Too late for that anyway… Let's rest while we can before the death sentence." And Ryoga promptly fell asleep, leaving Ryoma to his thoughts.

'Was I wrong?'

* * *

Dinner was awkward in all sense of the word. The Atobe family shot daggers with their eyes whenever their gazes met someone. Everyone wisely refrained from commenting on the hair of Prince Atobe which now looked identical to the hairstyle he sported when he first arrived in this country. Conversations were muted as everyone surreptitiously glanced between the Echizens and the Atobes. The lavish meals and soothing music faded into the background in the face of the imminent showdown.

"That's enough staring from the lots of you!" Queen Atobe bellowed, finally lost her temper upon catching the word Atobe whispered for the umpteenth time. She calmed down slightly when the servants picked this opportunity to bring out mouth-watering desserts. At least Queen Rinko had been smart enough to have the patisseries bake pastries more fitting to her palate. 'Oooh the Angel cake is so fluffy!' Appeased, Queen Atobe happily savoured the delightful treat. The others sighed in relief.

King Nanjirou and Queen Rinko stood up to address the inevitable, seeing no reason to delay it any longer. The silence was oppressing as everyone gave their full attention to the two monarchs.

"I believe everyone is aware of the situation that occurred earlier, and we once again apologise for the inconvenience it wrought." King Nanjirou declared and gave a slight bow. "We have identified the culprit responsible for the dyeing of Prince Atobe's hair." He paused for a moment to mentally prepare for the onslaught. "My younger wayward son Ryoma was responsible for the small prank he played against Prince Atobe."

The room burst into a jarring discordant mixture of sounds. The Atobe supporters were protesting and demanding compensation for the not-very 'small prank' that defamed the Atobe's name. A few argued that the prank had indeed been harmless and that the Atobes were over exaggerating to gain some benefit from this. The rest added their opinions on the matter and ended up aggravating both parties. King Nanjirou was on the brink of smashing a table to get everyone's attention, when the screeching of a chair stopped him. The arguments slowly ceased as they watch Prince Ryoma determinedly walk to the front of the dining hall in full view of everyone. He turned to face the different groups of representatives.

* * *

'What have I done?' Ryoma was horrified when the argument broke out. It would have been a joyous occasion with the rare gathering of many countries, and a perfect time for Queen Rinko to show off if she had any say to it. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this!

'What am I doing?' Ryoma wondered with every step he made. As barbed words and spiteful remarks were hurled across the room, he simply thought that he should try to stop it. Before his brain could process his actions, he found himself standing. He counted the silence with his heartbeat.

'What will I do?' Ryoma thought as he stared straight at all the guests present. He could see Ryoga gaping like a fish and used the amusement to calm his thoughts. His parents looked back with unreadable expressions. 'Well, I'm already up here at the front. Time to man up.'

"When I decided to steal some of my brother's hair dye to spike Prince Atobe's shampoos, I didn't expect this. Really, all I could think of at that time was to create a situation where he had to shave away all of his hair. Now that I am actually standing here to confess to all of you, I must also confess this to myself: this petty revenge of mine because I believed that Prince Atobe did not fulfil the agreement to shave his head was just an excuse. I had desperately held on to that thought and continued to delude myself, but this moment, my mind is surprisingly clear. I was jealous.

"I love tennis. My life revolved around tennis and magic, the rest were secondary. For someone to actually match me all the way to tiebreaker at 117-all, I didn't think such a person truly existed. When I won, I thought that was all that mattered, but Prince Atobe was recognised and acknowledged as well. I can't help but think that if he was the one who scored two more points, I would simply be another loser. I lose in tennis almost every day, whether against my father or my brother. Nothing is special about losing. For Prince Atobe to garner respect while losing? I got frustrated. Then after he shaves his hair, he still looks rather nice. It doesn't seem like a punishment. So here we are. I got my wish, but I'm not happy. I even caused more trouble for everyone and brought more unhappiness and conflict. I now stand before everyone whom my irresponsible actions have caused much grief to, I am sorry. To Prince Atobe, for my selfishness, I am sorry."

Prince Ryoma bowed the deepest bow he ever did in his whole life.

There was a rather long silence, and Ryoma did not dare to lift his head. Until he heard a snort.

"Brat, I lose to my parents in tennis all the time too. I get what you mean." Prince Atobe snootily added. "Don't get the wrong idea, I haven't forgiven you yet."

"I probably shouldn't hold it against a kid who haven't even reached his majority, but I'm afraid we must still treat this seriously. I hope you understand that." King Atobe announced.

"Of course, King Atobe. We have decided on the remuneration and punishment, if you agreeable to them." Rinko quickly gathered her wits and responded. Her thoughts were still travelling at miles per hour. 'My Ryoma is growing up! Surprisingly, this was what it took to make him more mature. I wouldn't even mind if he dyes the hair of a few more people if that's the result… Especially that obnoxious Queen… ah bad thoughts, bad thoughts!'

"We are willing to half our import taxes and lower our export prices on green tea by 15% for three years. In addition, we will provide you the recipe with detailed instructions and samples of our newest cake, Matcha Lava Cake."

King Atobe turned to consult his wife and sweatdropped when he could tell that she was salivating at the cake mentioned. "I would accept if you would adjust that to five years." He bartered.

"That would be fine with us." Rinko accepted on their behalf, since Nanjirou and Ryoga still seemed rather out of it.

At the area allocated to Rikkaidai, a bluenette twitched his eyebrow. 'Devious woman. She probably obtained information leaked from our country that we were planning to lowball on green tea exports to snatch up business. Then to lower import taxes to encourage more trades and bring in the much needed goods? She's good.'

"With regard to Ryoma's punishment, we decided to strip him of his position for a year. He is hereby evicted from the castle and tasked to travel for a year. He would only be allowed to return a week before the next Renatus."

Ryoma look dumbfounded at the announcement, even as whispers broke out in muted discussion of whether it was too harsh.

"That is acceptable. We humbly accept your compensations and your decision for the punishment." Queen Atobe acquiesced.

"Now that everything is settled, we have arranged various performances. Please enjoy yourselves." Rinko proposed, then motioned for Ryoma to follow her out while she dragged the two still-astonished statue impersonators out of the hall.

As the Seigaku royalties left, Ibu Shinji of Fudomine began muttering to himself. "Did no one tell the little prince that there was bound to be something that comes up every gathering? I did a research paper on the potential curse effect of having so many different countries' representatives together. It is why I even bothered to follow Prince Tachibana here afterall. It was a good opportunity to come; I can write another research paper. Then there was the fact that everyone was simply looking for things to argue about since they probably hated one other on sight. Or maybe not everyone since Prince Tachibana is not the kind to hate others. Maybe others don't really hate one another too. It could be another side effect of the cursed gatherings. Prince Ryoma didn't have to feel guilty. But I'm jealous of him. His speech sounds so cool. But I shouldn't be jealous. He got into this mess because he's jealous. But I am not going to dye his hair. I would…."

* * *

"Chibisuke, you should give impromptu speeches more often. You sound so grown-up. I'm moved to tears. See? And I can always pretend to lose to you, except you somehow figured it out and get even angrier at me." Ryoga pretended to sniff as he dramatically dabbed his handkerchief at the corners of his eyes. When Ryoma didn't seem to react to him, he sighed. "Chibisuke, one year isn't a long time. Blink and it would be over. You get to travel too! It's what you wanted right?"

"It wasn't what I had in mind when I wanted to travel," Ryoma replied gloomily.

"I suppose what you have in mind seems to differ from reality a lot today." Rinko mused as she held up a storage bag charmed to be able to fit more than its actual volume would suggest. "There's some dried food, a sleeping bag, some liquid cash, survival guide, filled bottle, and your identification. I hope I didn't forget anything."

Ryoma took the bag from her and retrieved the identification card. His eyebrow twitched at the name. Ryoga peeked over his shoulder and chortled heartily. "Koshimae Chibisuke? HAHAHAHAHA!"

"I had this made specially for you! You need a less conspicuous identification so your actual one will be kept with me." Nanjirou proudly announced.

"Ryoma," Rinko addressed, "don't see this as a harsh punishment. You should keep in mind the mistakes you made today, but this trip is more of a lesson than anything. I want you to go out to see the world first-hand. When you come back, I would like to give you a test to see how far you have learnt. Also, take the opportunity to find a high priest! And gain some allies while you're at it. There are always some who dodged the recruitment despite their great magic. Find them!" Ryoma nodded quickly at her adamant words. Rinko softened her looks and gave him a bone-crushing hug. "Know that I love you! Please take care of yourself!"

"Chibisuke, take care of yourself! Don't get into trouble! Wait, that is impossible. I hope you stay alive even after encountering trouble!" Rinko glared at Ryoga.

"Meow…" Karupin sidled up to Ryoma, who gathered him up in his arms. "Karupin! Can I bring him with me?"

"Don't see why not." His father told him gruffly. "I will teleport you to where Mishura is. I sent him to one of the town earlier, so don't worry." He started drawing a long string of runes. When he activated the spell, he muttered, "Stay safe, seishounen."

* * *

The boy and his cat left the gilded cage.

* * *

Mishura was flying leisurely. The weather was nice, the wind was flowing in his favour, a perfect day for a flight. 'Two-feet-food-source said to head to the nest-of-two-feet by the large-source-of-fish.' His sharp sight easily pinpointed the cluster of low-lying buildings and a lighthouse. Even from afar, he could see the liveliness of the port, as ships docked and sailed at rapid pace. 'I guess I will just stay around the edge…'

He glided slower as he approached the port. 'So many two-feet-underlings of two-feet-food-source… FISH! I spy fish in the water! Nothing like fresh fish straight from the sea! FISHY! Come to papa!'

Mishura swooped down into a near-vertical dive and plunged into the water, easily plucking the fish from the water with his claws. 'Success! Snacktime!' Runes glowed around him in a circle. 'Hmmm? Teleport runes? I can't see the water or fishes! Activate!'

As Mishura prepared to dive again, something suddenly strike him. 'Wasn't I suppose to teleport something to land?'

* * *

Whatever he expected from the teleportation, appearing in mid-air above the ocean was definitely not one of them. 'Why is nothing I expect happening?' The thought roared in his head as he began free-falling. He let out an undignified yell as he held onto Karupin while they plunged into the sea with a mighty splash.

* * *

 _To be continued_

* * *

 _Omake_

The interviewers sighed for the umpteenth time as they waved the petite lady with dainty hands out of the room.

"Is it so hard to find a tailor made of sterner stuff? One of them was a little girl that cried when she saw us! I was positive that before I entered the room, I was a bachelor in high demand! I am handsome, am I not?" One of them complained.

"Maybe we could suggest to Queen Rinko about hiring a bodyguard to work with the tailor." Another piped.

"We still need one that won't faint or stutter just by coming for an interview. Maybe we shouldn't have used the interrogation room to hold this." The last of them muttered.

"It's here or the underground cellar. The Renatus made all the rooms occupied. I'm pretty sure that the cellar looks like a dungeon though. Anyway, who's next?"

"Last of the interviewees who applied. Carter Dandelion. We're doomed."

"You can always learn sewing and volunteer yourself as Prince Ryoma's tailor. Come in!"

As they chatted, a hulking shadow towered over the three interviewers.

* * *

(1) Koshihimo: A sash used to tie around your waist to keep the Kimono(Japanese Traditional Costume) together

(2) Hakama: A seven-pleated pants that is tied at the waist and reaches the ankle

(3) Haori: A thigh-length jacket

(4) Haori-himo: A tassel that keeps the Haori connected

(5) Oni: Demon

(6) Betsuni: It's nothing

* * *

A/N: Extra-long chapter to make up for the tardiness. I had the start and the end of the chapter completed months ago but the tennis match refused to be written. I can't write tennis matches and this would probably be the only tennis match for a long while. I would have just scraped the whole description since it's pretty much mixing ep.113, 114 and OVA 13 (and plenty of my own interpretation), but it seems like cheating when I'm writing in a _tennis_ fandom.


End file.
